


hold my hand

by kozumejpg



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Bokuaka - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Gay, High School, Homophobia, KageHina - Freeform, KuroKen - Freeform, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Smut, Romance, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepy Cuddles, Volleyball, daisuga - Freeform, levyaku - Freeform, tsukkiyama - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:56:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29810139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kozumejpg/pseuds/kozumejpg
Summary: Kenma Kozume finds it in himself to confess to his childhood best friend Kuroo Tetsuro, after years of pretending. Returning the feelings, Kuroo does everything he can to understand his boyfriend, both making each other's hearts better without exactly realizing it. Messy family lives, misunderstandings, and being so unlike the other, they both know how important it is to help each other through dark times as well as their brightest moments.⚠️ slight smut warning..?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Kudos: 9





	1. in your embrace

**Author's Note:**

> the following may be triggering to some viewers:
> 
> ~ homophobic comments/verbal abuse  
> ~ self loathing  
> ~ mentions of panic attacks/breakdowns  
> ~ reference to past self harm  
> ~ language

“Kuro?”

Kenma sat up groggily while his vision adjusted to the light around him. His shiny eyes darted to the digital clock by his best friend’s bed, which read 4:32pm. On waking up, his lingering headache stabbed through his mind causing him to wince in pain. Just as he was about to lay his throbbing head back on the pillow, a figure became clearer aside the door frame with a grin spread across his face: Kuroo Tetsurō. Never minding the fact that the two had been close friends since they were little, Kuroo couldn't help but feel a flutter racing in his stomach at the half-awake boy curled up on his bed, gazing up at him with hazy golden eyes. _Shit I better not me blushing…_ Walking over to Kenma, he placed a hand to the other’s forehead with a worried expression that soon turned to relief.

“Your fever’s gone down since you were last awake!”

Kenma knew his friend cared about him much more than he thought he deserved, yet a thought crept into his mind while Kuroo brushed the other’s hair from battering across his eyelashes. _Kuro would never like me like that… I’m just his childhood friend to him, nothing more._  
Boosting himself up from the bed, Kuroo headed for the door before turning around.

“I made you some soup, so stay there and I’ll be back in a minute.”

Kenma peered at him as he left the room. To his astonishment, the boy began to realize something about himself: _Why can I never get him out of my mind? I might act like the only thing I care about are my games, but how come Kuro’s the only person I really think about? I don’t… At least I don’t think… Who am I kidding here-_  
His thoughts stood interrupted at the spiky-haired volleyball captain shuffled to the bedside, slowly handing a bowl of soup to him.

“Are you feeling better? You came over here earlier with a bad fever and you said your head hurt, so I let you in, and well… You kinda fell asleep as soon as your head hit my pillow.”

He chuckled when he realized Kenma’s cheeks gleaming a warm shade of pink.

“Um… Yeah… Better than before. Tired.”

“Alright, well, just know that you can stay as long as you want Kenma.” A sudden urge came over him as he spoke, “You look cute when you’re sleepy…”

Though the boy meant it, it came out only in a mumble that he prayed Kenma didn’t hear.

“W-what’d you say?” Kenma looked the slightest bit flustered until the latter hurriedly assured him it was nothing.

“Nothing! Keep getting some rest Kenma, we’ve got practice matches with Karasuno in a couple days!”  
He quickly departed from the room, leaving a quaint stillness around Kenma.  
 _Did he just- No I probably heard it wrong… I should just let it slide._  
After finishing the soup that was given to him, the younger dozed back into slumber in the comfort of Kuroo’s home. Minutes later, Kuroo crept into the room to see if he had fallen back to sleep, with reddened cheeks from before. His eyes locked on Kenma, he didn’t notice the hoodie strewn on the floor, which caused him to stumble. A loud thud erupted through the room as Kuroo’s left foot met with the ground to regain balance, generating Kenma to jolt from his sleep. Kenma’s cat-like eyes met with Kuroo’s.

“Shit! I didn’t mean to wake you- I- I tripped. My bad!”

As the embarrassed Kuroo turned to get out of the awkward situation he had put himself in, Kenma’s calm faint voice met his ears.

“Kuro?”

“Y-yeah?”

“It’s okay,”

The dark-haired boy looked more flustered than Kenma had ever seen, which revitalized his hope in the other loving him back. Without a second thought, Kenma let a string of words fly through his lips before he could stop them.

“Kuro… C-can we cuddle? I’m sleepy…”

Kuroo’s heart beat in his ears as butterflies created masses in his chest. _DID HE JUST ASK ME THAT? DID HE JUST ASK ME TO CUDDLE WITH HIM? That’s normal right? I mean he’s just tired and not feeling well… It’s nothing… He doesn’t-_

“It-it’s okay if you don’t want to… I just wanted to ask.”

Kuro’s gaze panned over the other’s blushed cheeks as he smiled.

“N-no no! Of course!”

Kuroo’s stomach flipped at the circumstances, no matter how much he wanted to hold Kenma close to his heart. The pudding head scooted over, giving the other room to get next to him. Both of their hearts were racing like lightning while Kuroo let his arm slip over Kenma’s side, sending a shiver through his body. Kuroo’s chest was held to the younger’s back before fully knowing what he was doing. A faint giggle came from Kenma as he abruptly, yet slowly, turned to face Kuroo. _Oh god why are his lips so close…_ Kuroo wanted to feel his soft lips against his, but still grasped the uncertainty of the other’s feelings. The last thing he wanted was to make Kenma feel uncomfortable around him. He knew in certainty that he wouldn’t be able to accept it if he lost his Kenma. The two met their eyes into a seemingly loving stare.

“Hey, Kuro…”

A hidden smirk formed on the other’s lips, his cheeks bright red. Kenma was teasing Kuroo, he could feel it.

“Kenma, why are-”

“Because, Kuro Tetsuro…”

Kuroo’s brawny hands slightly tugged the other’s figure closer to his, his palms trembling.

“Kuro I love you.”

 _UH- HE- OH GOD WHAT DO I DO- Kenma- He made the first move… All this time I questioned-_  
Kuroo got himself together as he brushed his fingers across Kenma’s chin, lifting it ever so slightly for their lips to interlock with each other into a passionate kiss. Kenma’s hand grazed under Kuroo’s shirt as they melted into their long-drawn kiss, making it even more difficult for Kuroo to pay attention while his thoughts swarmed every inch of his head. Once their lips broke their contact, Kuroo let out a breathy gasp.

“I love you too Kyanma… I have for so long…”

“H-how come you never told me?”

Kenma’s soft breaths came out in little puffs, clearly still recovering from the kiss they had shared. Deep down, Kenma knew that he could ask him the same question, yet waited patiently for a response.

“Because Kyanma… What would I do if I lost you? I- I mean… If you didn’t feel the same, and I made everything we worked so hard to get to, fall apart in front of me… You know I would break.”

Their eyes never left each other, a stare that the two had been craving with one another for as long as they could tell. A strand of hair fell to cover Kenma’s face, making Kuroo laugh and grasp the smaller figure even mightier than before.

“Well you don’t have any reason to worry now, Kuro. I’m here. I’m not leaving.”

He knew the pudding head wasn’t leaving, deep down maybe he had always known that, but every bit and piece of uncertainty he had swallowed, vanished into the thinness of the air with those words of reassurance.

“Kenma baby…”

_Did- did he call me baby?? He did- I-_

“Yeah?”

Kuroo felt a lump in his throat at the thought of finally asking the question he held hostage on his lips for years. Memories fell into his mind second after second sending waves of butterflies through his veins and calmness to his eyes. _Finally…_

“Do you- do you want to be my boyfriend?”

His voice broke just a bit, barely enough to notice. Kenma glanced up at Kuroo, Kenma was smiling, a genuine smile that Kuroo never wanted to take off of his lips. All at once he knew that he wanted to be with this boy forever. He shuddered, awaiting the answer that dared take forever to meet his ears. A silence uttered and encased the bubble they had formed around themselves before the quiet voice of the other enveloped every part of him.

“Of course I do. I only want you.”

Kenma hadn’t entirely overthought his answer as he usually would. It came from the depths of his feelings, where he felt Kuroo was the center of everything he ever loved. Kuroo latched his hands together on Kenma’s back while bringing Kenma’s smaller body to lay atop of his. He knew that Kenma was one to rarely show affection, making every moment a treasure to Kuroo. His hands caressed the warmth of Kenma’s back, but his hand moved in just a way to make Kenma laugh rather suddenly. The boy’s face seemed to beam brighter than he had ever seen in the years of knowing one another. Kenma’s usual smiles were genuinely perceived as forced, like they didn’t belong to him. Every inch of this grin spelled joy, sending a flood of relief to Kuroo. After kissing the tip of Kenma’s nose, the younger buried his face in the crook of Kuroo’s neck. The two stayed like that for hours, though they didn’t realize it, until they fell asleep.  
Without warning, the door of the room crashed open, making Kenma cling to Kuroo twice as tight which made the spiky-haired boy hold him with both arms around his torso. A clearly familiar voice was brought to Kenma’s ears seconds after.

“O-oh shit my bad!”

It was the short, orange-haired, middle blocker of Karasuno, Hinata Shoyo.

“I- uh… You wouldn’t answer my texts so I got worried and went to your house. Then your mom told me you weren’t home so I thought I might find you  
here! Then, well… After knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell enough times for Kags to get mad at me-”

Kageyama peeked his head around the doorway and raised his eyebrows.

“I found the door unlocked so I came in to make sure you were alright… Guess that was dumb of me…”

Kenma couldn’t find words as his face flushed a smooth shade of pink from being strewn on top of his, now, boyfriend.

“U-uh… No it’s fine Shoyo. Everything’s alright, I just wasn’t feeling well-”

Kageyama snickered from around the corner, sending Kuroo into protective mode for whatever reason.

“Kageyama- Hinata- Don’t tell anyone about this okay? We uh-” Kenma interrupted him, trying to take control of what was going on.

“We’re uh- dating now Shoyo, but we don’t want to make it public just yet if that’s alright…”

Hinata gasped dramatically, glancing at Kageyama who was smirking at them.

“REALLY?? AWW then we’re so happy for you! Right Kags?” The first year couple had been dating for the past 4 months after Kageyama eventually confessed to the boy, who returned the feelings.

“Yeah, of course Shoyo.”

After he admitted that, Kuroo still found the need to assure the two of keeping their secret until they were ready. By now, Kenma was basically straddling Kuroo’s lap as he spoke, the hum of his voice making Kenma drowsy seeing as he was still half asleep. Continuing a lecture to the two, completely out of fear of the others knowing, the deep inhalations of his boyfriend brought him back to his senses.

“O-oh I guess he fell asleep again.” Kuroo chuckled as he said his farewells to the others leaving his room.

Around forty minutes later, Kuroo’s phone lit up beside him. It was a text from Yaku.

( ** _8:32pm)_**  
 ** _Yakkun:_** _Hey Kuroo, since you missed practice today, I needed to let you know about the movie night being held at my house tomorrow for the team. I heard from Bokuto that Kenma wasn’t feeling well, so when you see him, can you let him know as well?_  
 ** _(8:40pm)_**  
 ** _Kuroo:_** _Alright! I’ll let Kyanma know too :)_  
 ** _(8:42pm)_**  
 ** _Yakkun:_** _Thanks a ton!_

Kuroo put his phone back down and tilted his head to glance at his boyfriend. He almost laughed as his eyes met with Kenma’s puppy dog eyes staring up at him with a look of needing attention.

“What was that?”

“Oh, that was Yaku. He’s having a movie night at his house for the team tomorrow night and wants us to go.”

Kenma’s face shrivelled into a worried expression, clearly unamused by the thought of being stuffed into a room with people, even if it should have become normal for him by then.

“U-um you can go Kuro. I don’t wanna-”

“Kyanma look at me.” He did as he asked, still clinging to Kuro’s muscular build.

“It’s gonna go great okay? If you start feeling uneasy or you wanna take a break from it for a little bit, you can totally do that. Plussss it’ll give us more time together!”

Kenma’s eyes immediately lit up by the thought of that, though he did his best to hide it from Kuroo.

“Fine. But-”

“Yes babe?”

Kenma’s entirety felt spurts of joy by the names Kuroo had already called him by.

“But if I go… Can we hold hands while we watch it?”

“So you want to let the team know about us? That’s perfectly fine with me if you’re comf-”

“No- not yet Kuro. I mean… We can probably hide it fairly well.”

“You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

Kuroo still worried, despite his boyfriend's disagreeing looks that were shot at him.

“Kuro I’ll be fine.”

The pudding head boy whined as he rested his face against Kuroo’s cheek.

“Sooo I’ll tell Yaku that we’ll be there.”

“Mhmmm.”

His voice was muffled from the positioning of his head moving back to the crook of his boyfriend’s neck. Kuroo felt a tingle of pride, knowing now that the  
boy he held in his arms was his.  
 _Kyanma Kozume is mine._  
He enjoyed the thought of it.  
 _Mine._  
The smaller figure had already returned into his former state of sleep, while Kuroo drifted off below him.  
 _Mine…_

~~~

**[Timeskip to next day]**

~~~

"Kyanma? Uh- hey, what's wrong?"

Kenma heard a worried intimate voice beside him while his boyfriend's sizable fist gripped his shoulder. He had zoned out eating his cup noodles on the floor of his kitchen, enough that he hadn't even noticed Kuroo entering his apartment. The boy quickly turned his gaze up to his dark-haired boyfriend with wide eyes.

"S-sorry I'm just tired."

That response obviously wasn't going to make Kuroo less anxious in the slightest.

"Baby~"

Kuroo teasingly whined as he picked up the smaller one from the ground, though Kenma felt he was being serious in some part. Squeezing their chests together, Kuroo brought them to the sofa that sat adjacent to the door.

"Look kitten... You _need_ to take care of yourself alright? You can't just live off of your cup noodles and barely get any sleep. I don't say this to nag you... I do because I'm worried about you Kenma."

He had Kenma facing him on his lap while he spoke, making it easier for him to lean forward to peck the other's lips. Though he knew the conversation was meant to be momentous, Kenma giggled at his new nickname, _kitten_. Every happy thought revolved around the previous day, the day he confessed. Since that day, Kenma had begun to feel better due to the constant care of Kuroo. Without gaining an answer from Kenma, Kuroo firmly took his head between his two palms to create eye contact with his boyfriend.

"Kenma look at me."

He did as he asked him to. Immediately seeing pain envelop the sight of Kuroo, Kenma felt a wave of utter guilt crash over him. Knowing he had perturbed his boyfriend, Kenma fell into his chest clutching his hands together around Kuroo's back. The 3rd year boy traced circles along the younger one's upper back as he let out little muffled whimpers.

"Kuro I'm *hic* sorry I *hic* made you sad. *hic*"

"Oh no no kitten... Don't apologize for this at all. All I want is that you to talk to me if anything is wrong. I want to be there for you, but you need to work this out with me alright?"

Kuro wiped the tears from Kenma's pale face before running his long fingers through the boy's hair. Kenma sat mesmerized by the hazel eyes that somehow filled him with continuous comfort.

"I love you Kyanma."

"I love you too Kuro."

The couple blushed furiously at the phrase, breaking eye contact as their lips creased into grins. Sitting on the sofa, both bodies still interlaced, Kuro quietly spoke up first.

"Sooo shall we go over our plans for today?"

Kuro propped up his boyfriend a bit, grabbing him from below the arms.

"It's just another day Tetsuro..."

Kenma stopped, realizing what he had just called his boyfriend; his cheeks lit up into a light crimson. Kuro chuckled, and continued to peck the boy's cheek.

"See, that's where you're wrong! So since there won't be any school today-"

"Wait what? Really?"

"Kenma baby how did you not pick up on that?" Kuroo let out a breathy snicker.

"Shut up Kuro." Kenma tried to look mad, but his expressions turned too soft for either one of them to remain serious.

"As I was sayinggg... Since we don't have school - which is why Yaku had everything planned for today specifically - the team agreed to a little more practice before we head over to his house. Other than that, we've got the whole day free until we head over at 7."  
Kenma felt overwhelmed, though he attempted to make it look like he wasn't.

"So-"

"Yeah?"

"Kuro, if the team _does_ somehow find out about us being together... Do you think they'll be okay with it?"

"Babe why do you look so nervous? I told you that everything is gonna go great. The team-"

"But we're all sleeping over there..."

"It's not like we haven't all slept in the same room together before Kenma. Plus, unlike when we have to do that for volleyball, we'll probably be separated into rooms."

"But I wanna cuddle."

"We can cuddle."

"What if someone sees us?"

"Then they see us. Isn't that a risk you're willing to take? We both know that none of the team is homophobic. I'm gonna be right there with you kitten."

Kenma grabbed both of his boyfriend's large hands, intertwining their fingers. Although he still felt a pang of worry, he took everything in him to believe that Kuroo was right. His boyfriend had told him also that they would have the majority of the day free to spend together, yet spinning around to the clock, the time had already hit _2:32pm_.  
 _How the fuck did that happen? I guess I got caught up in my game, but I couldn't have been out that long..._  
Kuroo had somehow known what the other was letting slip through his thoughts.

"Don't worry about time Kenma, Yaku told me that practice is gonna start at four. So, that means we've still got about an hour and a half to ourselves!"

"D-do you want to-" Kenma's voice slightly cracked from embarrassment, knowing it was a terrible idea to ask what he meant. Kuroo brought his lips to the crevice of his boyfriend's ear, sending a shiver down his spine as a whisper grazed along his lips.

"No... The team needs you to be able to walk for practice, Kyanma."

Kenma was somewhat startled by the response, but his stomach flipped at the mere thought of Kuroo. He didn't know if he wanted his boyfriend to see his whole figure, neither the blessings or the imperfections, just yet. Part of Kenma told him to wait for that, while other thoughts wouldn't let his mind off of the thought of being so close to the dark haired volleyball captain. _Not yet Kenma... You don't want to get hurt..._

"Kitten... I'm sorry, are you uncomfortable? I didn't think- I just- I don't know it slipped out of my mouth before I-"

"Kuro, it's okay. I'm okay! Stop apologizing."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"You sure sure?"

"Yes babe I'm fine."

Kuroo chuckled from seeing Kenma's taken aback expression from his words. _Aw he called me babe..._

"KITTEN YOU CALLED ME-"

Kenma's face was blushing furiously as he attempted to keep a smile from forming his lips. When Kuroo gave him cute names like that, it felt almost normal. When Kenma tried it the other way around, though he saw his boyfriend's absolute happiness from it, he felt weird. _Y'know maybe it's cuz I'm a bottom... I mean, it's probably obvious that Kuro could top me any day, so I don't think I'll be letting that shit slip again._

"I- uh- maybe you should stick with the cute nicknames and stuff... I feel weird with..."

Kenma had begun to trail off in thought again, his boyfriend's hands caressing the lines of his mid-back.

"Thank you Kyanma."

"For what exactly?"

"For telling me you felt weird by doing that. I mean, we're boyfriends now, I really want you to let me know when anything I do - or we do - makes you feel anything you

don't wanna feel. You know what I mean?"  
Kuroo's glassy eyes peered through Kenma's with a sense of pure love for the other. He knew he wanted the same, no matter how much he struggled to find words to express such.

"I want that too Kuro... I'm- I'm not one with words."

"That's completely okay you know. You never _have_ been one with expressing your feelings. I don't expect you to change for me Kynma, but I _do_ want you to speak up for yourself in times you need to."

"I will Kuro. I promise."  
The time now reached _3:02pm._ The two, not finding much else to do with the time they had given themselves, semi-cuddled on the sofa while Kenma straddled Kuroo's lap.

"Hey kitten?"

"Mhm?~"

"You wanna get to practice early? We've gotta get ourselves together first of course but-"

Kenma suddenly felt his boyfriend's chest rise and fall in an unsteady pattern. _What the hell is he laughing at?_ Kuroo brought the smaller body of his boyfriend to sit up, a suspiciously large smile on his face.

"I- I left my shit at my place."

_Oh that was a nervous laugh-_

"Okay. I can go get my stuff from my room and then we'll head over to your place."

A look of relief washed over Kuroo's face.

"Really? You'd be alright going with me?"

"Kuro, what the hell is wrong? I've been to your house more times than I can count. Tell me why you look so nervous."

Kuro was shaking just a bit, though enough for the already worried Kenma to notice it.

"You're shaking..."

"Uh- it's- fine. It's my parents Kenma... They've decided to stay at my place right now. They basically barged in this morning without even asking me if they could stay. That's why I came here without letting you know. Then of course my dumbass left what I needed on my bed because they scared me."

Kenma had never met the parents of Kuroo, but judging from the way his boyfriend spoke of the two, he may have been lucky he never did. They had never been home when he visited Kuroo's house, before Kuroo moved out on his own. Random days, Kuroo would ask him if he could go to Kenma's house instead, though he never questioned it. Pieces started to come together slowly in his mind...

"Kuro, look at me."

Kenma tried to gain any words he could to express what he wanted to know from Kuroo.

"Your parents... Why are you so nervous around them? If it's okay to ask of course- I don't wanna interf-"

"They're homophobic."

"Oh..."

"They had always supported me in everything else I did in my life. They were proud of my volleyball accomplishments and my marks in school. Four months ago I had the bright idea of telling them that I'm gay, because they'd support me in anything I told them right?"

Kuroo's eyes were glassed over with tears. Kenma knew he wouldn't let them out.

"They threw me out of the house, telling me they couldn't have such a disgusting son... I have no clue why they randomly showed up at my house this morning, but I don't want to face them. The only way I'm not homeless now is thanks to my four cousins and my sister who helped me to get the roof I'm under now."

"Kuro... I'm sorry Kuro..."

Kenma grasped his boyfriend's waist with abrupt force, wanting nothing else but to be there for him. Each time Kenma would say his name, a feeling of deep comfort met with Kuroo's heart.

"Kuro... Could I maybe go in and grab your stuff, so you won't have to? I can be quick."

"But... What if they see you?"

"Then they can fuck off."

Kuro sat agape at the sudden anger in his boyfriend's voice. _Stupid asses can move out of my way if they're gonna hurt Kuro like that. I'm not having them damage him even more._

"You- you're cute when you get protective."

"I don't want them to hurt you..."

"If you insist on going in for me, I'll let you. But just know that I'm going to be right outside of the door in case anything happens, alright?"

"If you trust me..."

"I do Kyanma. Now go get your stuff before we run late!"

Kuroo's radiant grin returned to his pale face as he gently picked up his boyfriend to rest his feet back on the ground. Kenma had a weird tingling feel that travelled to his insides. _I shouldn't be nervous. They won't even notice me._

~~~

Sincerely out of nervousness, the drive to Kuroo's place was silent besides the whir of the engine below them. Kenma had spaced out into his own world when Kuroo's shaky voice destroyed the strange silence.

"We're here..."

Lifting themselves from the car seats, they made their way to the door. Kuroo slowly unlocked the handle and let Kenma go inside. No one was in sight. _Phew that would've been bad._ The pudding headed boy precariously darted for his boyfriend's room. The room was open, the bag still atop the messed up bed sheets. Thinking he had successfully gotten Kuroo's stuff, a faint couple of voices met Kenma's ears. _They're downstairs now... I shouldn't have been so loud-_ After questioning what he could do, the boy decided that he didn't have much of a choice and bolted for the staircase he had just gone up. He stopped halfway, almost falling face first; Kenma swallowed a lump in his throat at the sight of Kuroo's dad who gaped and gave him an off putting look.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I-I'm a friend."

A woman's voice came from a few more feet away.

"Knowing about our disgraceful son, it's probably his.. Boyfriend."

Kema could hear a grimace from the way she had said the last word.

"What? Are you his boyfriend?"

"I-"

Kenma gasped when the collar of his shirt was wrenched by a hand. Kuroo's dad had a frightening disgusted look in his gaze.

"You stay the hell away from Kuroo. You hear me!? You stay away! He can't be gay!"

He looked insane. Complete anger fused into Kenma from the repulsive way they talked about his Kuro. With adrenaline coursing into him now, he brought his hand up to the edge of his shirt and tore the fist from his collar.

"I'm Kenma Kozume, and yes, I'm your son's boyfriend! ALSO for the record I think you're both disgusting! You should be there for Kuroo- for fucks sake you're his parents, and you go about talking like this!? I WON'T STAY AWAY FROM HIM. I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM ANY MORE THAN YOU HAVE. I LOVE HIM AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM THAT."

His own voice was hurting his ears. Kenma hadn't yelled at anyone like that for years. The boy was going to push his way past the two, until he paused at the sight of Kuroo in the doorway.

"Get- GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY BOYFRIEND YOU BASTARD!"

His voice was wobbling frantically, his hazel eyes burning with resentment.  
Kenma's heart ached a way he couldn't explain from everything that had just happened so quickly right then.

"Kuroo! Who the hell is this!?"

"You already know dad."

"WHAT? WOULD IT BE SO HARD TO FIND YOURSELF A GIRL?"

"CAN YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP? Mom... Dad... If I should even call you that anymore - I'm not straight, alright? Even though that's what you want, I never was and never will be. I- I know you wouldn't understand, but I've loved Kyanma for years now. He's made me happier than I think I've ever been, and I won't give up on that because you two are the homophobic pieces of shit you are!"

His voice turned raspy from yelling, tears trailing down the sides of his face. Both of his parents stood by the staircase in awe as Kuroo signaled for Kenma to get to the car. Just as the two were about to make for the vehicle, Kuroo stopped in his tracks.

"And I want you both out of my house by the time we get back."

He slammed the front door behind him as he rushed to the driver's seat.

"W-well that didn't go too well..."

"No Kuro... They deserved to know about us. They may be absolute shitheads, but this way you have nothing to hide. I'm not leaving you, and I hope you won't even think of that... What I said back there... I said because I really do love you Kuro. I might not act like it at times, but even when that happens I hope we can push past that."

That was the most Kenma had said to anyone in one period of time, for years. He didn't know where any of it came from, but he did know he meant every word of it. A teardrop fell down his cheek before his boyfriend answered him.

"Kyanma... Baby... I'm so sorry I put you through that-"

"No Kuro. I couldn't let them say that about you, not after you told me what really happened. It made me sick..."

"They can say what they will... But we won't apologize for being together. Sometimes the things I say might come off as cheesy, but I love you. I'll never stop telling you that Kyanma Kozume."

"No- not cheesy. It's cute... I love you too Kuro Tetsuro."

"You're cuter." Kuroo was smirking as he glanced over at the boy, clearly blushing.

"Shut up Kuro."

The two gradually got lost on a trail of laughs until the familiar sight of Nekoma stood in front of them. Kuroo parked the car and helped Kenma out, being the good boyfriend he was. The time read _3:58pm_ so their plan of 'getting there early' worked out in the end for them getting there on time. Kenma was about to grab Kuroo's hand until he saw Lev peek his head out of the gym door.

"There you guys are!"

Kenma felt the slightest bit irritated but quickly remembered the movie night that would be later. _Only like four hours left..._ Kenma let out a tiny sigh that willed his boyfriend's hand to gently caress his shoulder in comfort. 

~~~

**[Timeskip to after practice]**

~~~

Surprisingly enough to Kenma, their practice actually went well. At the beginning, both him and Kuroo had still seemed a bit shaken by the previous occurrences, but eventually got lost in thoughts of the game as they normally would. Minor slip-ups happened when the couple randomly made direct eye contact or if Yaku asked them if they were 'all good'. Kenma might have been good at conserving his feelings from others, but had absolutely no control over his bright blushing cheeks. As much as Kenma was nervous to be at the get together, fluttery energy sprang through his stomach at the knowledge that his boyfriend would be there along with him. Shuffling towards the locker room where Kenma had dropped his things, an abrupt thought striked down the others in his mind: _Where's Kuro...?_  
Within seconds, Kuroo's brawny forearms wrapped Kenma up from behind, laughing as he perceived the shocked face of his boyfriend. Arms still around him, Kuroo spoke above a whisper.

"Good job out there Kyanma."

Kenma wasn't normally one to be forceful about much, but the last few days had touched him in a way he couldn't admit in words. It didn't feel right for him to be his normal inanimate-like self in front of Kuroo in the moment. Kenma had watched beforehand as the others already made their way to the parking lot outside, leaving him and Kuroo to themselves. With that in his mind, he turned hastily on the tips of his feet and grabbed the back fissure of the dark haired boy's neck. Kenma let them both melt into the kiss, while Kuroo steadily led his palms to fondle his boyfriend's soft sides underneath the shirt. Without noticing in advance, Kenma let out a tranquil soft moan from the contact he had secretly been craving. He felt Kuroo's tongue coveting permission into his mouth, unaffectedly giving him access. Their lips moved in sync, still gripping on to one another in the middle of the quiet room as butterflies rose in both their chests. Kuroo began to impel his long fingers into the other's silken hair as the kiss broke off, and Kenma burrowed his head into the curve of the taller boy's neck. Kuroo had parted his lips to speak when a different voice came from the other side of the room.

"I- uh- sorry to interrupt- but um- are you guys heading out-? I- left my shoes in here."

Yaku stood by the entrance, unmistakably flustered by seeing Kuroo heavily making out with a now-breathless Kenma. Both turned a crushingly conspicuous shade of red, Kenma taking it in worse than Kuroo. Being who he was, Kuroo broke the tension with a hesitant laugh.

"Sorry about that Yaku- You probably didn't expect that-"

He was cut off by Yaku's immediate remark.

"Pfft I've been wanting you two together for years, in my eyes this is relief of tension."

Kenma's levels of embarrassment were skyrocketing at this point.

"Yaku... Could you not let the others know about me and Kuro yet?"

"Oh, yeah, whatever you two are comfortable with!"

Both were struck with solace and thanks that it had been Yaku to walk in on them and not someone like Lev. The libero grabbed his sneakers from the ground, and turned to the doorway.

"By the way, do you guys need a ride to my place or...?"

"Nope, thanks Yaku. I'll take Kenma with me as well." 

"As you should."

Yaku's face curled into a smirk with those words.

"Shut it Yaku."

Kuroo looked towards the floor sort of smiling, probably overwhelmed, or worried that Kenma was going to lose his shit once Yaku left the locker room. Eventually, after what felt like forever, the beige haired boy made his way outside to the others. Kuroo subsequently let out a rushing gasp, like he had been holding his breath for too long.

"Well, Kenma-"

"Err..."

"He won't say anything, Kyanma. You know that."

"Y-yeah... Still, I probably shouldn't have been so forceful..."

Kuroo grabbed the other's chin, but gently pulled it up so that the couple's eyes would be locked together.

"Don't you _ever_ think you need to feel bad for showing me affection, kitten."

Kenma second-thought himself anyway, _I still wish Yaku hadn't seen that though..._

"Okay, fine... Should we maybe start to head over now?"

"That's probably a good idea."

Kuroo reached for his boyfriend's hand, seeing that it was already outstretched towards his figure. Both laughed quietly as their fingers gracefully intertwined and made their way to the parking lot where the vehicle was left. It lay just as they had left it, both bags strewn over the back car seats as they were in a hurry. The ride was predominantly silent, besides the various noises that came from Kenma's game, and Kuroo softly humming a song Kenma couldn't figure out. Since the pudding head hadn't noticed the car pulling into the driveway, the swift hit on the breaks startled him from the game in his hands.

"We're hereee."

Kuroo sing-songed jokingly as if Kenma was a child. In response, the other giggled to himself recognizing how perfect his boyfriend was to him.

"Okay, I guess we gotta get our stuff from the ba-"

"I'm already on it! I can carry your stuff for you!"

"Oh- uh, I mean sure, if you want to."

"Anything for you babe."

Kuroo could play the role as Nekoma's strong leading captain during matches, but Kenma knew that he was a softie. Bluntly realizing that he wouldn't be able to kiss Kuroo once they got in there, the shorter boy pulled his boyfriend to meet his lips and leave a peck. Seconds didn't even pass by when the two lifted their heads to see Yaku waiting for them on his front porch.

"Is this gonna be some ongoing thing with me?"

Blushing, Kuroo came up with an answer for the slightly-amused Yaku.

"Hey, hey, at least we're here Yaku!"

Kenma had no clue why he found that humorous, and he didn't exactly question it either.

"Yeah but if you guys don't want those idiots in there knowing, kissing in the middle of my driveway probably isn't the way to go."

"That's my bad-"

Kenma chuckled under his breath in response. Yaku sighed with a sarcastic tone in it, signaling them with his hand to 'get their asses inside'. The house didn't have any particular scent to it, which Kenma found somewhat weird, but it didn't make a difference to him. The rest of the team could be found either sprawled on the floor of the large room ahead, or completely obliterating Yaku's kitchen. Yamamoto, of course, ended up getting kicked directly in both shins for doing just that. Lev had done the same, although Yaku seemed to find no problem with him. _That's sus, but okay._ Kenma was starting to feel somewhat entertained at the chaos created around him, though Kuroo still worried in the back of his mind that Kenma was going to get too stressed. The majority insisted on a horror movie, which ended up being put on the large flat-screen at the front of the room. The couple had leaned themselves into the corner of the sofa in an awkward attempt to be able to hold hands. 

"No one's paying attention to us Kenma, alright?"

"Shhh, hold my hand Kuro."

Doing so, they remained like that for the remainder of the movie. Here and there, Kuroo could feel his boyfriend flinch at parts of the movie, each time squeezing Kuroo's hands twice as hard. Somewhere, Kenma had dozed off into sleep, gradually dropping his head into his boyfriend's lap. He wasn't about to wake him up, instead he brushed his fingers through the soft strands of Kenma's hair, watching the younger's chest rise and fall. Only when the movie ended and the lights were flipped on did Kenma spring awake, rubbing his eyes vigorously.

"O-oh hey Kuro."

Kuroo snickered and had to hold himself back from tearing Kenma from beside him and wrap him into a hug, just to have him closer. _He has no right to be this adorable what the fuck-_

"Welcome back Kyanma."

A strand of dark hair fell in front of his eyes as he spoke, that he hesitantly pushed back. He stood up, stretching, until his eyes fell on a half-awake Kenma who had decided to put his arms out like a baby, still strewn on the seat. Not wanting to get caught by any of his teammates, Kuroo stealthily grabbed the pair of smaller hands and tugged. He had no idea what Kenma was doing, but the shorter body flew into his chest, wrapping him into an abnormally tight hug. Clearly needing to hold him, he brought his arms around Kenma, but leaned down a bit more so his lips were beside the other's ear.

"Kenma- the team-"

"Oh shit-"

The now almost awake Kenma was fully alert after being given the obvious reminder. He had blocked out everything around them as he usually would after first coming out of his naps. _Oh dammit what came over me to do that- nononono I can't have Kuro dealing with my stupid anxiety right now-_ Reaching the end of his thoughts, Kenma realized that the room had fallen to silence, all eyes hanging on him and Kuroo. _Dumbasses should at least know not to stare-_ But they obviously didn't. Kuroo, also feeling somewhat panicky, grabbed hold of his boyfriend's upper arm gently and started to leave the stillness of the room, chuckling nervously.

"Er- uh- go back to whatever-"

Kenma was now ahead of Kuroo, pulling him along to the large bathroom around the corner. The team had dropped their awkward looks eventually, though that didn't make the couple any less uncomfortable.  
"Kenma baby, how did you forget where we were? I'm not saying you shouldn't have... I just thought you didn't feel content to let them know about us."

He couldn't tell if Kuroo wanted everyone to know or not, coming to think of it, he didn't know what he wanted himself.

"I- Well I guess that we kinda have to tell them now. They're not gonna let that ~performance~ slide and we both know that Kuro."

"You completely sure? I'd love to let them know, but only if you want to as well."

"Like you said earlier... They're not homophobic, right?"

"Nope, remember?"

"Remember what?"

Kenma was genuinely confused that he was meant to find a memory in his mind linked to this topic.

"I asked the group chat a couple months ago - randomly of course - how everyone thought of it and everyone was chill about it. You were the first to answer dumbass."

He had forgotten about that conversation completely. Coming back in touch with reality, Kenma knew he had to make a decision before leaving that bathroom.

"Oh yeah- I forgot about that."

"So... You want me to do the talking?"

Kenma laughed at the question, a clear 'there's no way in hell I'm doing the talking bitch' face.

"Pfft no Kuro, I'll go give them a speech about my love for you."

Kuroo joined into the quiet giggling before putting his hand out for his boyfriend to get, a smile still spread across his flushed portrait.

"Okay okay fine, since we're already at it, we might as well be the ~extra~ couple that we are, and hold hands. If you want to of co-"

"Nuh-uh shush, I'd never pass on a chance to hold your stupid hand."

Kenma had unsurprisingly said this while jokingly rolling his eyes. His boyfriend hoisted him up from where he had planted himself lazily on the floor. Brushing himself off, Kenma realized that his anxiety wasn't acting up as bad as it usually would in a situation like this. _Well I'm with Kuro, so I guess that helps._

Kuroo led them both out into the hallway with Kenma shuffling his feet behind him. The team had since formed themselves into a chaotic disordered circle, talking to each other over a whisper while others were smirking in delight. Yaku wasn't taking part in the strange gathering, but could be found in the kitchen giving Kuroo a look that painfully said 'good luck with this shit fest'. Clearly not about to notice the two staring at them uncomfortably in the hall holding hands, Kuroo coughed, unamused. With that, everyone lifted their heads up to them fast enough to give themselves whiplash. Again, silence erupted in the vicinity - Kuroo wanted to end it as fast as it had begun.

"You guys alright?"

Kenma wanted to laugh, he didn't know why, but he could hardly contain the grin that threatened to spill across his lips. Before Kuroo could say another word, Inuoka's upbeat voice trailed into the air.

"Shouldn't we be asking you two that?"

A few snickered, others still not knowing what to say. Kenma didn't know what had gotten into him, but his face flushed into a bright red shade as his soft laugh burst through the room. The completely awkward silence had been too much for him to handle. Kuroo immediately followed, quickly dropping his forehead onto his boyfriend's shoulder, giggling in uneven breaths from being nervous. The remainder of boys on the floor sat with their jaws stuck open, none of them having ever seen Kenma smile before, let alone laugh. Kenma started to feel a knot forming in his stomach from shaking with laughter after a few seconds, leading him to force the confession out of Kuroo. 

"Shit- You guys are stupid. Kuro just tell them, please."

Kuroo seemed to have dropped part of the confidence he held minutes before, taking him a few extra seconds to combine his thoughts.

"Okay- Yeah- Fine, me and Kenma are dating... But that's not going to change anything on the court. Uh- If- hopefully you guys are okay with us being-"

His voice lowered substantially saying the last sentence, though loud enough for the rest to hear. Before the sentence could even be finished, Lev's voice broke through Kuroo's.

"IF ANYONE HAS SHIT TO SAY AGAINST YOU TWO I WILL KICK THEIR KNEES IN!"

Nobody saw that one coming, but Yaku hurriedly joined in.

"Assisted by me, of course!"

The rest of the team sprung up from their places, hurdling themselves towards Kenma and Kuroo. Kenma quickly ducked it, thrusting his face into his boyfriend's chest, hiding the smile of relief he had been holding away from. The chaotic heap of Nekoma boys started up with their hype-ups towards the couple, Yaku seemingly the happiest for them. Yamamoto piped up with a question, talking over two others.

"Wait wait, are we all the first you've told!?"

Both looked at each other, wondering what to say in response. Obviously not communicating well that way, Kuroo spoke up.

"Well um- the first to know was actually our _favoriteee_ first year couple at Karasuno, Hinata and Kageyama. Sure it was an accident but oh well-"

He paused, swiftly glancing at Yaku for a second while the others made clamored commentary.

"Yaku also found out earlier after catching us in the locker rooms making o-"

"Kuroooo..."

Kenma's whining cut him off mid-sentence, making Kuroo pull the fake-pouting boy closer to him. Without having to be told, Kuroo knew instantly that he wanted to be picked up. Leaning down and grasping the underside of his boyfriend's thighs, Kenma was hoisted up and wrapped both legs around the other's brawny torso. He then clasped his hands together behind Kuroo's neck, forgetting about the others for a quick minute. Lev looked like he was about to explode from watching the couple being cute in front of him.

"I-I'm too lonely for this!"

Lev dramatically threw his hands to the sides of his head. Yaku lightly kicked the shins of the other.

"Shut up they're being too cute together for you to just interrupt like that-"

Kenma was starting to feel the embarrassment run to his cheeks, burying his face into Kuroo's neck.

"Kuro I'm tired..."

Knowing not to question anything, Kuroo wanted to make sure his boyfriend was okay. He smiled widely before speaking over the random chatter.

"We're uh- we're both really grateful for the acceptance tonight, and it's honestly a relief to let you guys in on it. But as much as we'd love to stay with you chaotic bunch, Kenma's kinda drained from everything, so I think we're gonna say goodnight to you guys!"

Various enthusiastic "good night"s and "congrats guys!" erupted from the room, before Yaku made them back off a bit. Yaku walked in the same direction as Kuroo, letting him know how things would work out for the team.

"Alright, so since I only have a limited amount of space for the whole team to stay here tonight, people have to share rooms and beds. Being the responsible person I am, I planned this shit out beforehand. Lucky for you love birds, I already had you guys paired together. I originally had it so you and Kenma would share a room with me and Lev, but I can work out a different way if you'd be more comfortable without other people near you."

Kenma peeked his face from where he was attempting to hide, and looked at Yaku with a smirk.

"You and Lev, huh?"

"N-NO! Shut up, not like that dumbass!"

"Ok ok my bad."

Yaku scowled, but Kenma could still make out his cheeks turning a bit redder than normal.

"Oh yeah, and before I give you guys the room... Can your horny asses not do anything? I'm not giving you a pass to do that shit along with the room to yourselves. Just- Cuddle and whatnot, okay? No fucki-"

Kuroo's face was the one heating up now.

"Don't worry Yaku, we won't murder your poor bedsheets!"

"You better not- Kenma looks too worn out for anything anyway."

"Y'know he's really light to carry actually."

"Y'know I really don't give a shit... But you guys are cute-"

Kenma just wanted to sleep at this point, he was happy that the team was there for them, but he didn't feel like passing out just yet.

"Have fun with Lev!"

"Kenma I'm gonna kill you."

"No you won't. I have Kuro to protect me."

Kuroo joyfully nodded at the remark.

"I- Good night you idiots."

With that, the faint noise of Yaku ordering the rest of the team to where they had to spend the night could be heard behind the door. Kuroo slowly placed his boyfriend's fragile body on the mattress in the corner of the room. Shortly after, Kuroo slipped himself under the sheets with Kenma. A second had barely passed when Kenma's smaller hands darted towards him to grab Kuroo's and pull them around his torso to his back.

"You promised me cuddles, Kuro."

Kuroo could feel Kenma's warm breath against his bare chest as it rose and fell. Pulling the smaller body tight up against him, he began to realize that he was finally happy.

"You know I love you, right Kyanma?"

"Yup, and I love you too Kuro."

The two were inseparable, Kenma clinging to his boyfriend every minute until he eventually dozed off. Kuroo took in Kenma's familiar scent, every moment believing that he was the luckiest person in the world. The night enveloped the two into their slumber until the morning came. 

~~~  
  
 **[Timeskip to the next morning]  
  
** ~~~

Kenma could hear muffled whispers surrounding him as his eyes slowly cracked open. The distinct voice of Lev pierced his ears, following that came thuds of bodies collapsing themselves to the floor as though Kenma wouldn't realize they had been there before. Kenma was still held tightly into his boyfriend's hug as they lay on the bed, he was suddenly regretting his decision to push the blanket down earlier when it had gotten too hot. The whole team had found their way into the couple's room for whatever reason, and Kenma had no energy to deal with them. He didn't want to wake Kuroo just to shoo the idiots out of there, but when he felt Kenma stir uncomfortably, he awoke, and clung to Kenma. A breathy whisper traced over him.

"Did the idiots just sit there and watch us?"

"Uh- Yeah..."

"No worries, I'll deal with it babe... Wait could you like- lay on top of me real quick so I don't have to stop holding you? I've gotta sit up though."

Doing so, Kuroo pulled them both into a sitting position, Kenma basically straddling his boyfriend's hips. He realized fully just then that he didn't mind the team seeing them being like this with each other, despite what his anxiety was telling him.

"Hey dumbasses, get off of the floor."

Their defeated teammates rose from their dramatic performance, looking guilty as they looked at the two.

"So does anyone wanna tell us what the hell you thought you were doing?"

Not surprisingly, Lev spoke up for the group, most likely being the leader of it.

"Well- Don't worry, we only got in here a few minutes ago! You guys were just acting so adorable last night after you told us- so basically we're just nosy."

Kuroo laughed at the lame response, not bothered by it, when Yamamoto added his two cents.

"You two also looked too ~angelic~ to not take pictures-"

Kenma felt a lump form in his throat.

"Delete them bitch." Kenma hissed; he was tired and didn't feel like dealing with it.

"Hell no I'm not! This is memorable!"

Kuroo motioned for Yamamoto to come closer, he whispered something softly in his right ear, but Kenma couldn't hear what. Clearly being suspicious, the ace of their team stepped back grinning widely. Kenma wanted to ask what was going on, but Kuroo stopped it.

"Okay can you all get the hell out now? We're still tired-"

Before Kuroo could finish his thought, Yaku loudly barged into the room. At the sight of a shirtless Kenma and Kuroo still in each other's arms with the team around them, the boy snapped.

"AND JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS ARE DOING!? NO, DON'T ANSWER THAT ACTUALLY! GET OUT YOU CREEPS!"

Kenma found it funny how mad Yaku was getting at them, but was relieved when the crowd had slithered out of the room.

"Damn- Sorry about them!"

"It's all good Yaku, they were just being as nosy as we would expect them to be."

"Pfft, alright."

Yaku closed the door behind him, leaving the couple back alone together. Kuroo decided to lay back down on his back, while Kenma was still sitting on top of Kuroo's hip bones gazing down on him. Kuroo avoided eye contact, a devilish smirk forming on his face. Kenma was being clingy, but Kuroo knew he couldn't get enough of it.

"You- You're actually really pretty Tetsuro."

"You're even prettier, kitten."

Both started blushing furiously, Kenma ending up being pulled down to Kuroo, crashing onto his ribs. He let out a breath that sounded somewhat like a laugh, leaving a kiss on Kenma's soft lips. The smaller boy melted into it quickly, bringing his hands through Kuroo's bed of dark hair. Stabs of electricity ran through his chest as Kuroo's lanky fingers caressed the warm skin of his back. The kiss broke eventually, unsurprisingly leaving Kenma breathless. Kuroo diminished the silence with his voice just above a whisper.

"Alright, well now I can't go back to sleep."

"I would try, but I probably can't."

"I mean, it's like 9am already so-"

"Yeah, we're getting up. I don't need them being suspicious of us."

"Pfft, they're just dumb Kyanma, no harm done."

That reminded him of that small interaction he had with Yamamoto earlier.

"Speaking of which, what was with you and Tora?"

"Whaaat? Nothinggg!"

"Tell me~"

Kenma knew he couldn't go against him for much longer.

"Nothing to worry about, kitten!"

"Kuro tell me~"

"Fine fine. Don't be mad though."

"Why? Should I be mad?"

"I don't know! I can't understand the shit you get mad at sometimes."

Kenma slightly smiled as he nodded in agreement.

"Okay fine, I won't get mad with you... Unless you don't tell me."

Kuroo grabbed his phone from beside the pillow.

"Hold on, it's gonna take a minute."

"Hurry upppp~"

Kuroo's face lit up into a peaceful smile as he gazed onto the screen. He swiftly turned it so that Kenma could see why he was smiling so stupidly now. It was the picture Yamamoto had taken of the couple cuddling. _Aw we do look cute-_ Kuroo pulled the phone back to the side of the mattress, his eyes now on Kenma.

"I wanted to set it as my lockscreen, so I was asking Yamamoto to send the pictures to me."

As much as he loved that idea, Kenma still wondered about other people seeing it.

"But- what if someone sees?"

"Then I get to show off my beautiful boyfriend to them!"

He felt his face getting warmer. _As long as I have Kuroo... Why should I care about other people?_ Kuroo moved himself so his figure could get up from the bed, while hoisting Kenma up around him. Kenma dropped himself to his feet in front of the taller one, without realizing he had his palm spread across Kuroo's muscular chest. He knew his cheeks were twice as red as before now, quickly trying to make things not as awkward.

"I'm gonna go ask Yaku if I can use the shower, okay? I'll be back here in a bit so we can go back to- Oh wait-"

Kuroo let out a nervous chuckle in response.

"Yeah... Let's hope my parents actually left when I asked them to. If they didn't, I'll have to get my sister over there, and she's working today so she would probably kick my ass if called her to do that."

"Well... Um, if they aren't gone and you have to get your sister, we can just go to my place instead."

"Thanks Kyanma, I'll bring our things to the car and wait for you!"

"Oh okay, thank you."

Kenma shuffled out of the room and made his way towards the kitchen to ask his question. Expecting to find Yaku making himself breakfast, he instead came across Lev and Yaku in the middle of a heavy make out session. Yaku was sitting on the counter with his arms wrapped around the taller one's waist. _See, I knew it-_ Kenma thought as he snapped a picture of the couple. Of course he had stupidly not muted his phone, sending the click to the others' ears. _Fuck- I'm really that dumb-_

"KENMA!?"

Yaku yelled, not out of anger, but it seemed more out of fear. Lev made a lame attempt to drive away the pudding head's suspicion, creating nothing but more of it.

"Oh- it's not what it looks like, really! We kinda just-"

"Give it up Lev, if you walked in on that you'd have the same reaction as Kenma."

Kenma wanted to send the picture to the group chat, just for the fun of it, when he remembered the other night. Yaku hadn't told the other's about that incident with him and Kuroo. Instead of the group, he sent the images to both Yaku and Lev, giggling as he did so.

"Kenma- what did you just do?"

"Sent it to you and Lev."

Both let out a long sigh of relief, obviously scared that he had exposed them both.

"You're not gonna tell anyone about this right?"

"Well, Yaku didn't say anything about me and Kuroo... So no, I-"

None of the three had noticed Kuroo coming from around the corner as he snuck up around Kenma and peered over his shoulder, making Kenma jump. Yaku was still placed on the counter, but quickly scrambled off of it, still too late. Kenma didn't realize he still had the picture up on his phone, which Kuroo grabbed and swiftly smirked at.

"Pfft nah, we both pretty much knew all along! Your "secret" is safe with us."

Kenma looked twice as afraid as the other two in the kitchen, shaken to the core by Kuroo coming up behind him like that. His boyfriend quickly noticed it, and spun him around to look him dead in the eyes.

"Shit- Did I scare you that much, kitten? Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you!-"

"Kuroooo I'm fineeee~"

"Okay okay Good to knooow~"

The two forgot about Yaku and Lev for a split second before returning back to them. Lev had the same face painted on as he did when the two told them the night before. 

"The- Aww Yaku- The nickname- Awww~"

Kenma silently inside loved the nickname, although he couldn't stand Lev pointing it out like that. He was about to say something when Kuroo did instead, except not to Lev, and his voice turned into a joking tone, which Kenma secretly found amusing.

"I believe that we should leave you guys to yourselves, shall we go now Kyanma?"

Kenma nodded, though he was still aggravated that he'd have to wait for his shower.

"Nothing ever happened here, alright?"

Kenma and Kuroo both agreed to Yaku's insistent question before piling into Kuroo's vehicle. The pudding head pulled out his game as the car drove out and headed towards Kuroo's house. Before they knew it, they had stopped in front of the driveway, with no other cars in sight. _Okay, good, they left._ Kenma lazily dragged his feet into the living room, plopping himself down on the sofa, while his boyfriend effortlessly brought their things inside.

"Kenma baby, you can go shower while I make something up for lunch, okay?"

As he stood up from the couch, Kuroo waltzed over and planted a kiss on Kenma's forehead before letting him go up the staircase. Once Kenma was out of sight, he yanked his phone from the back pocket of his jeans, and excitedly called Bokuto. He hadn't told his best friend yet that him and Kenma were dating, surprisingly, but found it to be the perfect time. Bokuto picked up the call, another voice slightly muffled along with his.

- _Phone call with Bokuto-_

_**B: Bokuto** _   
_**K: Kuroo** _   
_**A: Akaashi** _   
_**K2: Kenma** _

B: "HEY HEY HEY KUROBRO!"

K: "BOKUBRO! I have newsss~"

B: "Good news? Bad news? You can always let me in bro."

K: "Good news actually! Wait- Is Akaashi with you? I want him to be let in on this too."

B: "Yup, he's next to me! 'Kaashiii, Kuroo says he has news."

A: "Hey Kuroo. Are you with Kenma right now?"

K: "Well, sorta... That's what I called about actually... OKAY OKAY SO to get to the point... We're- uh- we're dating now!"

_*Bokuto unsurprisingly gasps from the depths of his soul, just to be dramatic.*_

B: "REALLY?? CONGRATS BRO I KNEW YOU COULD DO ITTTT!"

A: "Aww congrats Kuroo!- Ow! Bo you're hugging me too tight."

B: "Oops, I'm sorry baby."

K: "Not to burst your bubble, but Kyanma was actually the one who made the first move... It was really cute actually..."

B: "Kenma?? Making the first move??"

A: "YES! I KNEW HE'D DO IT!"

K: "Wait wait what?? Akaashi you knew he had feelings for me all along?"

A: Pfft yeah, of course. Kenma told me a while ago actually, and I guess I finally convinced him enough to confess to you. Don't worry, I didn't tell him that you felt the same though. Left that for you to do."

B: "AGAAASHIII why didn't you let me in on itttt?"

A: "Cuz I didn't want you accidentally slipping up, Kotaro."

K: "Well- That doesn't matter now Bokuto, we're together now anyway!"

B: "Yes bro, you're right! SOOO..."

K: "Oh no, what?"

B: "Have you kissed? Cuddled? More? You better have at least kissed him or I'm going over there right now and forcing y-"

A: "Kotaro, let him answer you first."

B: "Right! My bad 'Kaashi! go ahead Kuroo."

K: "Funny enough, kissing and cuddling was part of the confession, except I wasn't expecting it at all! Not that I didn't enjoy it-"

A: "Aww Kenma went all in for it? I'm proud right now-"

B: "Kurobro you're blushingggg~"

K: "Hey, shut it! It's not my fault you made me think back to it!!"

B: True, true~ So how many others know?

A: "And are you okay with other people knowing?- Oh wait is that Kenma back there?"

_*Kuroo whips his head around to see Kenma wearing his hoodie and sweats that were obviously too big for his smaller body*_

K: "Oh you're out already, Kitten? I just told Bokuto and Akaashi about us!"

_*Kenma runs to the phone hearing the names.*_

K2: "Akaashi I actually did it!"

A: "Yes bitch I know! I'm proud of youuuu~"

_*Kuroo and Bokuto sit agape, clearly taken aback by the way their boyfriend's were acting.*_

K2: "Wait Akaashi, did you ask something before I came over here?"

A: "Oh yeah, I was asking if you guys were okay with other people knowing."

B: "And the people who already know!"

K2: "I think I'm okay with it, but only if Kuroo wants... And uhhh hold on lemme think..."

K: "Seeing as Kyanma's all good, then I don't see why not!

K2: "So Kageyama and Shoyo already know..."

K: "We told our whole team last night..."

K2: "After Yaku caught us making out in the locker rooms..."

_*Bokuto and Akaashi both burst into laughter.*_

B: "How'd Yaku, of all people, react to that!?"

K: "Better than we expected actually-"

A: "Oh okay well then that's good-"

K2: "Then Kuroo told you two. That's it so far."

A: "Alright, well don't be surprised if both of your phones are blown up with texts by the end of the day because Bokuto got too excited."

K: "This should be fun."

B: "I'd say you're being mean but I have to agree with you 'Kaashi-"

K2: "Eh, I don't have to use much effort. Everyone knows I barely show emotion anyway."

K: "I beg to differ-"

K2: "Shhh you're obviously different."

K: "Pfft I know that, dumby."

A: "WELL- Bo just made a group chat with everyone we've ever met volleyball-wise and told them so- heh have fun with that!"

B: "Whaaat~? They said they were fine with itttt~"

A: "Still, that's a lot of people Kotaro-"

B: "I know 'Kaashi! that's the whole point of itttt~"

_*While the two kept talking, Kuroo wanted to let Kenma know something before he felt that it was too late. He whispered it to him, still loud enough for Bokuto and Akaashi to hear.*_

K: "Kitten, I don't know why you're wearing my clothes, but you look cute-"

K2: "They smell like the detergent you use, so I've decided to steal them now."

K: "Pfft fine with me~"

K2: "You're cute too by the way Kuro..."

_*Both are clearly blushing now. Meanwhile, the two on the other end of the phone were listening intently to Kenma and Kuroo's conversation.*_

K: "What? No shush, we both know you're the cuter one-"

K2: "No you."

K: "No you."

K2: "No you."

K: "No you."

K2: "No you."

K: "No you."

K2: "No y-"

_*Kuroo cuts his boyfriend off by grabbing his chin, pulling them into a quick kiss, though still filled with passion that sends sparks through Kenma's veins.*_

A: "Oh- oh alright- get into it-"

B: "I WAS WAITING FOR THAT! SHIT YOU TWO ARE SO CUTE I-"

A: "Uh- oh guys I think you broke Bokuto-"

K2: "Try putting him in rice."

K: "Or you could i dunno- kiss him, stupid."

B: "I like Kuroo's idea!"

A: "Y'know what guys? We'll let you go now! Talk later kay?"

K2: "Bye Akaashi!"

K: "Get your man Bokubro!"

_-End of call-_

Kenma quietly planted himself on the floor of Kuroo's kitchen, still basically swimming in his boyfriend's clothes.

"Damn that was chaotic as hell-"

"Nooo it was fun to get their reaction~"

"Eh, true... Wait, didn't you say you were getting lunch together?"

"Oh shit I-"

"Don't worry about it Kuro."

"Tch. Good luck with that one-"

Kuroo jumped off the counter he had been sitting on top of, to check the fridge. His hands moved things around in frustration until his eyes landed on his target.

"Kyanmaaa~ I found you your favorite apple pie!"

Kenma's face immediately lit up from the sight of his favorite food, a nice break from his regular cup noodles. He knew that he couldn't just not offer some to his boyfriend."

"Kuro... You want some too?"

"Yeah, sure."

The two sat down, gradually eating the pie set in front of them. Out of nowhere, Kuroo's cackle ripped through the room, engulfing Kenma's ears.

"What is it Kuro?"

"Pfft it's nothing~ Just realizing how dumb I am!"

Kuroo let out something that sounded somewhere between a giggle and a sigh.

"No- You're the smartest person I know..."

"Nah kitten, it's just- Was I that obvious about my feelings-? I'm realizing now how almost every person who's found out so far has said something to the effect of them already wanting us together beforehand-"

"Mhm~ I guess I could say I was one of those people."

Kuroo looked up from his plate, straight into Kenma's sun-kissed eyes that darted back at him. A peaceful grin was displayed on his lips, probably the most pure thing Kuroo had ever seen.

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for now Kuro?"

"I just wanna say..."

He paused for a longer stretch than he usually would.

"Hmm? You okay?"

"I- I just wanna thank you for loving me Kyanma..."

Kenma sat speechless for a moment before bringing his eyes back to his boyfriend's.

"Thank you for loving me back Kuro. I'm- Well, I'm happy to finally be yours, after these stupid years of pretending..."

Both of the boys' faces were plastered over with a dark pink shade, breaking eye contact when Kuroo's smile started to grow from the edges of his mouth. Kenma's thoughts took over as they always would when he felt this feeling around Kuroo.

_He's so special, yet he chose me... I know he loves me though, and even if I didn't really believe in love at some point, I think I get it now. I don't know much about it, but I know enough to accept that I love Kuro... He's my boyfriend now after all... He makes me happier than anyone I've ever met... Kuro Tetsuro is my boyfriend, and I don't ever want him to leave me._


	2. your stupid smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !! slight smut in this part (at the very end, and its barely anything, but still) !!

~~~

**[TIMESKIP TWO MONTHS LATER]**

~~~

Kenma woke up to the sounds of dresser drawers opening and closing. Expecting to feel Kuroo's comforting arms cradling around him as he usually would, the vacancy soon hit him and seemed to erupt a nervous wave through his spine. Kenma's eyes snapped open; his boyfriend's figure was quietly getting himself dressed, an anxious look spread on his face.

"Kuro what are you-"

"Oh- kitten... I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Well, no... Just got scared when I didn't feel you next to me anymore."

"Oh-"

A lump formed itself into Kenma's throat, afraid to speak another word. He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, it was hurriedly making him sick to his stomach. He never left without letting him know beforehand, especially on Sundays.

"Kuro... What are you doing...?"

"D-don't worry about it Kenma."

"No, I'm going to worry about it. What the hell is going on?"

Kuroo's face evolved to a deathly white shade, his eyes locked to Kenma's in fear.

"I- I'll be back here at your place around 5pm, alright?"

He forced a smile onto his shaking portrait, a terrible attempt to comfort Kenma.

"K-KUROO TETSURO TELL ME RIGHT NOW!"

"N-no Kyanma..."

Kenma could feel hot tears begin to take shape in his eyes, making his vision twice as blurry.

"P-please... I'm worried about you..."

"Everything is gonna be fine, baby... I- I just have to go..."

"But Kuro you-"

"Just trust me kitten... Please."

He let the door shut behind him, leaving Kenma sitting up on the bed, still trying hard to process what was going on. _Is he leaving me...? No, he said he'd be back. He still loves me. I know he does. If I needed to know, he'd let me in, right? Kuro would never cheat on- No no no no don't even let yourself think that Kenma. He'll be back..._ His fragile little body began to shake, his arms tightly swaddling and encircling his legs that he tucked close to his chest. A sudden sob ripped through the air in the room, Kenma couldn't control it and he didn't try to either. He wasn't angered or saddened, but a creeping nervousness tore through his heart, confused as to why Kuroo was keeping something from him. He was glad that his mom wasn't home, not that she ever really was. He shared the apartment with his mom after his dad left when he was a little kid, but she only came back for several hours at night. As much as Kenma loved his mom, their relationship wasn't what it could be. He sighed with an uneasy tone weaved into it, coming back to his worrisome reality. Although everything had happened so fast, Kenma knew something was clearly wrong, and he couldn't stand to just sit and wait around for another moment. Still overwrought, Kenma reached for his phone that was laying beside his bed and decided to call Bokuto.

_-Call between Bokuto and Kenma-_

**Bokuto: "** Hey hey hey Kenma! What's up?"

 **Kenma: "** B-Bokuto what's *hic* wrong with Kuro? *hic*"

 **Bokuto:** Wait wait why do you think something might be wrong? Did you two fight or...? Oh no Kenma are you crying??

 **Kenma:** "I- I don't fucking know what's *hic* wrong."

 **Bokuto: "** Kenma calm down and tell me what's making you upset. He hasn't responded to any of my texts today, but I just assumed it was because he wanted to spend more quality time with you since it's the weekend."

 **Kenma:** "Pfft nope... *hic* Well... I just woke up to him getting dressed, obviously hurrying like he didn't wanna get *hic* caught. Then I kept asking him what was wrong because he looked really nervous and *hic* pale, but he wouldn't answer. I don't know Bokuto, he just *hic* left without explaining and I'm worried."

 **Bokuto:** "He- What the hell... Umm- Did he say if or when he'd be coming back?"

 **Kenma:** "Mhm, he said around 5pm."

 **Bokuto:** "Okay, that's... What, around four hours from now?"

 **Kenma:** "But what's he going away for that'll take four hours, that he couldn't even tell me?"

 **Bokuto:** "I don't know... I just got to his house and there's no one there, but I'll keep looking, alright?"

 **Kenma:** "Thanks Bokuto... Keep me updated if you can."

 **Bokuto:** "Of course! I'm happy you let me in on this Kenma, I'm gonna ask other people if they've heard from him okay?

 **Kenma:** "Alright... I just hope he's not hurt or anything..."

 **Bokuto:** "No no no I'm sure he's fine! I'm gonna handle this... Oh by the way, Akaashi wants to know if he can go over there to comfort you."

 **Kenma:** "Yes please... If it's okay with you guys."

 **Bokuto:** "More than okay! He'll be there in a few. I've gotta go now, I shouldn't be multitasking."

 **Kenma:** "Okay, bye Bokuto."

 **Bokuto:** "Hang in there Kenma!"

_-End of call-_

Kenma could hear the door swing open, and swiftly close not long after. Akaashi had gotten there faster than he had expected, but was relieved to see a familiar face, sending pangs of comfort to his chest. Akaashi briefly smiled before putting his arms around Kenma's little body. The pudding head felt those tears come back, but forced them to stay where they were.

"Oh no you were crying?? I'm gonna beat his ass when he gets back, for doing this to you."

Kenma giggled, tears still stinging his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make anything put the pieces together. He didn't know why Kuroo acted the way he had, and that simple thought killed his hope minute by minute.

"Akaashi?"

"Yeah Kenma?"

"Do you think he's actually gonna come back?"

"Aww of course he will~ Everything's gonna be fine, just like Bo said."

He really wanted to believe those words, yet the stab of worry never left his stomach.

"I hope so..."

"Y'know what? How about you choose a video game for us to play to pass the time."

"I- I don't think I have the energy for that right now."

"Okay! Uhh... How about you put on a movie. Is that okay?"

"Alright... Could you stay here just in case I um..."

"You what, Kenma?"

"I- I have a panic attack. Kuroo knows how to deal with them, and I think I just need someone with me right now... If you can."

"That's no problem! Maybe the movie can distract you from the shit going on right now."

"Yeah... Maybe."

The two sat in silence, only the mere whirring of the ceiling fan hummed throughout the room until Kenma flicked on the TV. Akaashi knew that Kenma was better off clinging his mind onto the movie, leaving him to stay quiet for the remaining 3 hours of the film. Kenma could tell that his friend was trying his best to stay upbeat for his sake and sanity. Akaashi was usually a quiet person, but Kenma eventually learned that he was one of the most comforting people he had ever met, aside from Kuroo. Once they had gotten to know each other by way of Bokuto and Kuroo, the two were able to create some form of brotherly bond between each other, something both of them needed, having hard family lives. Having a friend beside him for those hours helped Kenma more than he realized, soon his mind fixed on the screen. The time passed substantially quicker than the two had expected it to, their eyes adjusting to reality as the credits rolled down the television.

"Hey, has Bo updated you on anything y-"

A ping chimed from Kenma's phone as the other spoke: _Huh, strange timing-_ a text from Bokuto.

 **Bokuto:** Kenma, I've gone to every place he could possibly be, asked everyone that might know his whereabouts, and I've got nothing...

 **Kenma:** Okay... Thank you for doing all that Bokuto.

 **Bokuto:** No no I'm not giving up yet! He said he'd be back to your place around 5pm right?

 **Kenma:** Yeah.

 **Bokuto:** Okay, that's like 40 minutes from now. If he's not back by then, call me okay?

 **Kenma:** I will. Keep me updated if you get anything.

 **Bokuto:** Will do! I got home about 15 minutes ago because my phone died, so I'll go back out if he's not at your place by 5.

 **Kenma:** Thanks Bokuto.

 **Bokuto:** No problem!

"He- he said he's got nothing right now. He also had to go home to charge his phone, so hopefully Kuro will be back in the next 40 minutes."-  
"Hmm... Alright. Damn, the time flew faster that I had expected it to!"

Kenma, although he had absorbed himself in the movie for the most part, he couldn't help but continuously worry about his boyfriend that whole time.

"I know right..."

"Okay okay, I'm gonna go out for like 15 minutes to grab some food for us so we don't starve to death. Stay here, and text me if Kuroo gets back, alright?"

"Okay, and thank you Akaashi..."

"Of course Kenma, you know me and Bo see you two as close as family, so don't ever hesitate to ask us for anything."

With that, Akaashi made his way out of the room, and out of the apartment building not long after.

A pinnacle of silence reentered the atmosphere, sucking Kenma back into worry. He had a queasy feeling in him that Kuroo wouldn't be back at the time he said he would. _If he was to come back to any place that's not here, it would be his house..._ Kenma quickly lept from the spot on the floor he had planted himself on and nonchalantly slipped on his volleyball shoes. He knew that if he sprinted fast enough, he could just simply ease his mind that Kuroo wasn't there before returning to his apartment in a short while. Swinging the door of the apartment open, the pudding head dashed down the sidewalk in search of any peace to his mind revolving around Kuroo. The bitter air rippled across the boy's face as he ran at his highest capacity, his golden hair shining in the dewy sunlight. His feet thrashed the pavement in a rhythm that swam to his ears in unison with the wind. His eyes darted towards every possible thing around him, in any chance to spot the dark haired boy or the sight of his vehicle. Slowing himself as he began to approach Kuroo's house, a car pulled into the driveway: _Kuroo's back._ Making sure that he wouldn't be caught, Kenma crept along the side of the house in which he wouldn't see the pudding head. He planned in his head to text Akaashi first before revealing his presence to Kuroo, but his whole figure stiffened at the sight before him. Kuroo was helping a girl out of the passenger seat, smiling as he did so. Hiding himself a bit better now, blood was pumping in his ears, scared to make a move. _That's not his sister Akemi... Who the hell is that-_ Afraid to look back, in fear of the salty tears finding their way down his cheeks, Kenma listened to the laughs that erupted from the two.

"Aww Nozomi the necklace I bought looks nice on you!"

"Right!? I've worn it every day for the past month!"

 _So her name is Nozomi..._  
Kenma repeated the name over and over in his mind while the two made their way inside. He soon quickly realized he was right in front of a window, dropping abruptly to the grass, his heartbeat was picking up speed. Kenma couldn't think straight, he didn't even try to make sense of the situation, only the dense feelings of nausea tearing at his insides remained. _I need to know more... But if they see me through the window I'm done for-_ Kenma brought himself up just enough to peer through the glass. The two were in separate chairs, talking fairly loud as Kuroo usually did. The girl, Nozomi as he called her, sat down casually in an armchair and observed the room. Kenma was thankful that the window had been opened just a crack.

"Sooo how's this place getting along for you?"

Kuroo laughed at the question, picking his head up with a smile.

"It's a lot better than staying with my mom and dad... I don't think I could have stayed there actually. I'd rather live on the streets..."

"Don't you ever get lonely here though? I mean it'd probably be nice to have more company than me occasionally dropping here when I absolutely need to."

_So she's been here more than just this once..._

"Nah not really... I uh- Hey what are you doing with my phone?"

Kenma narrowed his eyes towards the girl, she had gotten hold of Kuroo's phone that he had previously sat on the coffee table.

"Contacts, contacts, contacts~"

She said this in a sing-song tune, clearly teasing Kuroo with it.

"Nozomi give it backkk!"

"Yo who's _Bokubro_ and why do you have 20 missed calls and 9 news messages from him?"

"Oh shit I turned off my notific-"

"oOooOoOo who's _Kitten_?? She's got a bunch of hearts after her na-"

Kenma's heart lurched at the nickname, feeling somewhat exposed despite Nozomi not knowing it was him. _Pfft, she doesn't even know it's not a girl he likes... It's a guy._

"NOZOMI GIVE ME MY PHONE!"

"Fine! Fineee~ here you go!"

"Thanks, how kind of you~"

"Mhm- Anyway who's this kitten person?"

"No one."

"Come on Kuroo at least give me their name! Please~"

"I don't know if-"

Kuroo's eyes suddenly locked with Kenma's, his head having moved to be visible now. _Oh shit oh shit oh shit he saw me-_ The smaller boy started to run, but heard his name behind him, causing his feet to glue themselves in place.

"KYANMA! WAIT!"

Still overly confused and worried, everything he had been caging up inside the whole day spilled out into a rage of burning tears. He threw his hands to his lips to muffle the sobs, waterfalls streaming down his face. He melted as Kuroo's arms closed him into a hug from behind, soon turning around to bury his face into his boyfriend's pounding chest. Kenma loved Kuroo with everything he had in him, but of course told himself to figure out what was going on first.

"Kitten I'm so sorry... I-"

"Where the hell have you been!? And who is SHE!?"

Kenma's arm thrust forward, pointing towards the girl standing by the house, watching them with an utterly mystified face. She hesitantly waved in response to the sudden outburst.

"Kyanma baby listen to me right now, okay? I'll explain everything to you, but you need to calm down first."

Kuroo was drawing circles with his fingertips on Kenmas back, pulling him back into a hug.

"F-fine. Can you explain now...? I've been worrying the whole fucking day Kuro."

"Alright... To answer that burning question you seemed to have a few minutes ago, the girl over there is my cousin Nozomi. She doesn't live around here, but she had to travel for work this week. I'm letting her stay at my place for the next two days so she won't have to pay for a hotel."

Kenma felt a tsunami of relief, but the guilt started to override it by the second. He never intentionally doubted Kuroo, but had definitely gotten pretty close to it. He knew he loved him.

"Oh... I'm sorry for yelling like that then... I- I was just-"

"No Kyanma, no apologies. I'm the one at fault here. I should've told you what was going on, instead of leaving you there in your apartment to worry about me."

"No Kuro it's fine, really. I'm just glad you're safe... But-"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you look so nervous while you were leaving? If you had told me where you had to go, I would've been fine with it, you know that."

"Well... Ugh... I had woken up when you were still asleep - you look really peaceful in the morning by the way - so anyway, I just decided to lay there and cuddle you, but then I got a text from my mom. She- she uh said that she was back at my house and needed a place to stay for a week. As you can imagine, there was no way in hell I was letting my parents stay at my place. I had also agreed to let Nozomi stay at my place the night before when she called me about it, so I panicked. I figured that I needed to sort everything out by myself... I was afraid to let my parents see you again after the shit they had said. It was wrong and stupid and I could have at least texted you to let you know I was alright, but I kept putting it off for some reason. Please don't cry kitten, I didn't mean for you to get so hurt by this..."

The vibration and hum of Kuroo's voice touched Kenma's heart while his head was still leaning against his boyfriend's body. He didn't know what to say, or how to say it. Kenma wasn't mad, but completely worn out.

"Kuro... No no no it's okay Kuro. Umm... Are you doing better now than you were earlier though? Your parents didn't hurt you, or anything right?"

The dark haired boy put Kenma's head in between his palms, directing his gaze into his boyfriend's partially reddened eyes.

"No Kyanma, I got them off my back fairly quickly... They were just trying to intimidate me. Now that I'm back here, away from my parents, and able to comfort you... Yup! I'm better now kitten."

Kuroo lightly brushed their lips together into a kiss, a feeling Kenma had felt deprived of despite him only being gone a few hours.

"Kuro?"

"Yes?"

"Nozomi doesn't know about us, does she?"

"Err... No, she doesn't even know that I'm gay actually."

"Should we- maybe explain to her? She's been standing there watching us this whole time."

"Wait, she's still-"

Kuroo snapped his head around to the girl's figure only a few yards from them, smirking from ear to ear. He blushed, realizing that although she hadn't heard their conversation, she had seen the way he acted around Kenma. She perked up at the two pairs of eyes on her.

"Hey Kuroo who's thaaat~"

"Nozomi why the fuck are you-"

"Stop yelling dumbass, get over here and talk like we're normal people."

Kuroo, clearly being embarrassed by his cousin, roughly locked fingers with his boyfriend and walked back towards the house. Kenma felt butterflies multiply in his stomach as Kuroo spoke up so that he wouldn't have to.

"Well, since you've most likely already guessed what's going on, I won't keep it a secret anymore-"

"Sooo you're gay then?"

"Y-yeah... This is my boyfriend, Kenma Kozume."

There was a bit of a pause before Nozomi's arms suddenly wound their way around the couple, happily accepting them both. Kenma could already feel that she would be one of those extremely loud supportive people.

"Awww Kuroo how come you didn't tell me!? That kiss back there already had me knowing this, but hearing you tell me just makes me so happy for you guys! Oh no, wait- Kenma did he make you cry?? Kuroo Tetsuro I'll beat your ass! Look at himmm~"

"Nozomi, as happy as I am that you've accepted us being together, will you please kindly shut the hell up? We've sorted everything out, right kitten?"

Kenma was on the verge of saying yes, but then it hit him: He never told Bokuto or Akaashi what he was doing nor where he was going to.

"Yes and no...?"

"Wait what? What's the matter?"

"Uhh... Long story short, I broke down and called Bokuto after you left, so he went out and tried to see if he could find you. Akaashi decided to spend the day with me until you got back, but I sprinted over here from my apartment while he was going to get us some food. I was meant to stay there and update Bokuto, but my phone died when I got here so now I'm in this mess."

"Oh so that's why he was spamming my phone? I had turned off my notifications, so I hadn't seen them the whole time I had to go pick up Nozomi and deal with my parents."

"Yeah... Today wasn't my day... Anyway, could you drive us back to my apartment? Akaashi is probably back by now."

The two looked over at Nozomi who was staring at her phone, but clearly listening in on them.

"Of course baby, and we've also gotta let Bokuto know what's going on."

"Alright... Uh- Nozomi-san?"

She looked up, dark hair rustling against her shoulder.

"Yeah Kenma? Wait, can I call you just Kenma or do you want something else-?"

"Yeah you can call me that, almost everyone but Kuro uses it. Oh and uh- me and Kuro need to go, so I just wanted to say I'm happy we've met..."

"Alright! I'm glad we've gotten to meet each other too, Kenma. Keep an eye on Kuroo for me 'kay?"

Kenma nodded with a tiny grin on his lips, still shaken up by everything. Hand in hand, Kuroo led the pudding head to his car.

The ride remained silent for the mere reason that both were deep in thought. They only snapped out of it when the turn to Kenma's apartment came into view. Kenma jumped when he noticed Bokuto's car in the lot next to Akaashi's. Hopping out of the car, Kuroo made sure to open Kenma's door for him. Kenma scooted off the car seat, planting his feet on the ground beside his boyfriend. Kuroo bent down and lightly pecked the other's lips, grazing his tear stained cheeks with the backside of his hand. The couple soon bound up the staircase, barging into the apartment. Akaashi looked up at Kenma in fear that shortly fused into relief, Bokuto doing the same. Though he was happy to see Kenma safely back, his expressions turned to anger at the sight of Kuroo.

"KUROO FUCKING TETSURO I-"

"Oh shit- Akaashi no, no it's fine. He explained everything to me, no need to beat his ass anymore-"

"Sure sure, mind telling us why you made Kenma cry his eyes out _twice_ then, Kuroo?"

Kuroo's figure stiffened, unintentionally squeezing his boyfriend's fist tighter than before.

"Fuck, I'm sorryyy~ I wasn't thinking straight-"

Bokuto spoke up, interrupting Kuroo's sentence.

"Okay, hold on for a second... Where were you?? I spent like 2 hours trying to find your dumb ass so that Kenma could relax and stop thinking you had gone off and done something stupid."

Kuroo sighed in defeat, subsequently explaining the whole state of affairs that went on the whole afternoon. Both Akaashi and Bokuto began to relax, given the dark haired boy's explanation. Akaashi still found the need to be salty despite the clarification.

"So basically you didn't tell him what was going on because you didn't want him to worry about you, but that just made him even more worried?"

"I wasn't thinking straightttt~ Anyway, thank you guys for being there for Kenma. I feel like shit-"

"It's all good Kurobro! Oh, and I'm sorry about your parents by the way... You've always got us."

"Pfft, you and Akaashi are basically family to us, that's been settled already!"

Kenma realized that he had been abnormally silent in the conversation, so he decided to add to what Bokuto had said.

"A-and me Kuro... You've got me."

"Aww kitten I know I've got youuu~ You're blushing by the way."

"Shut up- Like I can't tell that-"

The smaller one was swiftly pulled into a hug, crushing their bodies together.

"Oh also Bokuto... After that incident where Kyanma yelled at my parent's faces, I think that I've learned to just not care what they think of me. I mean, I've obviously got someone better instead, right?"

He squeezed Kenma jokingly, slightly tickling his sides enough to get a tiny laugh from his boyfriend. Akaashi's bottom lips stuck out, getting soft from how cute the couple was.

"I'd stay mad at you Kuroo, but then I couldn't constantly tell you how adorable you guys are together. You know I can't physically do that-"

"'Kaashi, speaking of which~ Should we leave these two to themselves?"

He winked in Kuroo's direction, causing both Kuroo and Kenma to blush furiously.

"Oh yeah you're right Kotaro~ Guess we should be going now."

Akaashi pulled Kenma out of Kuroo's arms to wrap him in a hug, whispering a bit into his ear.

"If he hurts you I'll kick his ass okay? You just say the word and I'm on it~"

"Pffft yeah yeah, thanks Akaashi."

The couple gradually made their way out of the apartment, leaving the remaining two alone.

"You leaving Nozomi at your place?"

The dark haired boy drew a smirk along his lips.

"Yeah, she'll be alright... Let's just hope your mom doesn't get back here early."

Kuroo was leisurely closing in on his boyfriend towards the wall as he spoke, Kenma's heart lurching each step he took. Once there was a measly opening between the two, Kenma brought both arms around the other's neck, wrapping his legs about Kuroo's torso. He took initiative to press their lips together, his hand grazing through Kuroo's hair. Their lips soon began moving in sync, Kuroo pushing the other's back against the wall while they softly gasped for air.

"Kyanma~ Do you want to...?"

Kenma knew that he had desired this with him a lot more than he tended to put across. Nodding in response to the question, he brought his forehead to meet with Kuroo's. Clinging onto Kenma, he made his way to the bedroom at the end of the hall, gently dropping his boyfriend's body on the mattress.

"You still okay with this kitten?"

"Yes Kuro~"

Kuroo locked eye contact with the other, becoming terribly mesmerized in his glistening eyes. In a matter of time, their clothes were strewn across the vacancy of the room, Kuroo leaning atop his boyfriend's figure. Kenma gripped his fingertips to the other's back passionately, both melting into what they had wanted for so long. Continous moans and breathy whimpers encased the room, lips locking simultaneously. They were each other's firsts, and Kenma silently hoped that Kuroo would be his last as well.

**Author's Note:**

> >>> THIS IS TO BE CONTINUED <<<
> 
> please leave kudos and bookmark if you would like to! thank you for reading, and i'll see you in the next chapter! <3


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